Animal-specific factors Animal-specific factors include the age, physiological status and activity of the pet. Problems related to animal factors are referred to as nutrient sensitive disorders (e.g., intolerances, allergies, and organ specific diseases). Diet choice for these patients should be restricted to those formulated to meet the disease-associated nutritional limitations of the specific patient. Diet-specific factors Diet-specific factors include the safety and appropriateness of the diet fed to that animal in question. Problems related to diet factors are referred to as diet-induced disorders (e.g., nutrient imbalances, spoilage, contamination, adulteration). Patients with these disorders may be treated by feeding a diet known to be appropriate for the patient. Feeding management and environmental factors Feeding factors include the frequency, timing, location and method of feeding, while environmental factors include space and quality of the pets’ surroundings. Problems related to feeding and environmental factors are referred to as feeding-related and environment-related disorders (e.g., over- or underfeeding, excessive use of treats, poor husbandry, competitive eating, or lack of appropriate environmental stimulation). These situations require effective communications to produce the appropriate behavioral changes in the client.
NUTRITIONAL ASSESSMENT Nutritional assessment is a two-part process (Figure 1). 1. 2.
Screening Evaluation is performed on every patient. Based on this screening, pets that are healthy and without risk factors need no additional nutritional assessment. Extended Evaluation is performed when one or more nutrition-related risk factors are found or suspected based on the screening evaluation.
The interview portion of evaluation should be performed by a person trained to elicit required information from the caregiver most knowledgeable about the pet(s). A detailed nutritional history should be obtained. A variety of forms are available for recording these findings.10,11
Screening nutritional assessment
Nutritional risk factors present
No risk factors present
Extended nutritional assessment
No further action required
Figure 1. An illustration of the two-part nutritional assessment process. A Screening Evaluation is performed on every patient. Based on this screening, pets that are healthy and without risk factors need no additional nutritional assessment. An Extended Evaluation is performed when one or more nutrition-related risk factors are found or suspected based on the screening evaluation.
2
Journal of Small Animal Practice • Vol 00 • June 2011 • © 2011 WSAVA